Numbers 23:9-19

9 I see them from the top of rocky cliffs, and I watch them from the hills. There is a people living alone;^[a] it does not consider itself among the nations.

10 Who has counted the dust of Jacob or numbered the dust clouds^[b] of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright; let the end of my [life] be like theirs.

11 "What have you done to me?" Balak asked Balaam. "I brought you to curse my enemies, but look, you have only blessed [them]!"

12 He answered, "Shouldn't I say exactly what the Lord puts in my mouth?"

Balaam's Second Oracle

13 Then Balak said to him, "Please come with me to another place where you can see them. You will only see the outskirts of their camp; you won't see all of them. From there, put a curse on them for me."

14 So Balak took him to Lookout Field^[c] on top of Pisgah, built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

15 Balaam said to Balak, "Stay here by your burnt offering while I seek [the Lord] over there."

16 The Lord met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth. Then He said, "Return to Balak and say what I tell you."

17 So he returned to Balak, who was standing there by his burnt offering with the officials of Moab. Balak asked him, "What did the Lord say?"

18 Balaam proclaimed his poem: Balak, get up and listen; son of Zippor, pay attention to what I say!

19 God is not a man who lies, or a son of man who changes His mind. Does He speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill?^[d]

Numbers 23:9-19 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 23

This chapter gives an account of the sacrifices offered by Balak and Balaam, and how God met Balsam, and put a word into his mouth, which he delivered in the presence of the king of Moab and his princes, Nu 23:1-7, the substance of which are, the separate state and condition of Israel from other nations, their number, and the happiness of the righteous at death, Nu 23:8-10, which made Balak uneasy, since instead of cursing he blessed Israel, and therefore he had him to another place to take a view of the people, Nu 23:11-13 where having offered sacrifices, another word was put into the mouth of Balaam, and which he also delivered before the king and his nobles, Nu 23:14-18, in which were expressed the unchangeableness of God, the irreversibleness of the blessing of Israel, the strength, safety, happiness, and glory of that people, Nu 23:19-24 which made Balak more uneasy still; but willing to try him a third time, he carried him to another place, and there built altars, and offered sacrifices, the consequence of which is related in the next chapter, Nu 23:25-30.

Footnotes

• [a] Dt 33:28
• [b] Or numbered a fourth
• [c] Or to the field of Zophim
• [d] 1 Sm 15:29; Rm 11:29; 2 Tm 2:13; Heb 6:17-18